Do your children frequently complain of being bored and whine that there is nothing to do – a common occurrence during the holidays!? This is becoming increasingly common in the age of digital media, as children are more accustomed to looking outside themselves for mental stimulation. The most effective way of dealing with your child complaining of boredom is by introducing them to the idea that there is no such thing as boredom. Staying firm in this stance puts the onus on them, and encourages them to use their own minds to think of ways to keep themselves entertained.

However, it’s essential that we also look at how we spend our own free time because children are far more likely to do as we do rather than do as we say! For example, do you always reach for your smartphone when you’ve got a couple of minutes to yourself? If we show our children that it’s perfectly possible to entertain yourself without relying on external stimuli by modelling this behaviour ourselves, they’ll soon learn how to put this into practice in their own lives. You can also help teach them fun and simple games – for eg. ‘I Spy’ – that can be played anywhere and at any time, so they’ll always have ideas of how to spend their unstructured time.

Inspirational Quotes:

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” –  James Baldwin

These are just a few examples of our Best of Parenting Tools. You can find more ideas and solutions to typical parenting challenges in our book ‘Kids Don’t Come With a Manual – The Essential Guide to a Happy Family Life‘.